Simmered Kabocha (Japanese Pumpkin)

This Japanese-style simmered pumpkin (kabocha no nimono or kabocha-ni in short) is healthy and easy to make. It is popularly served as a side-dish in a Japanese meal or in bento boxes, as it keeps well and can be eaten at room temperature or slightly warmed.

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When cooked, its fluffy texture and sweetness resemble sweet potato more than the typical pumpkin. Its skin is also soft and easily digestible.

It’s not only good as a side-dish. When I shot this recipe, I had the simmered kabocha with brown rice and edamane.

Simple and healthy lunch for one :)

Optional: Trim the sharp edges of each pumpkin piece for better presentation. I skip this step when I’m busy.

Put the pumpkin pieces into a small pot in a simple sauce of dashi, mirin, soy sauce, sugar and sake. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until softened. This is the initial stage of simmering. This simple sauce brings out the natural good taste of kabocha with a perfect blend of savoury (salty) and sweet.

The only hard thing to do for this dish is cutting up/slicing the kabocha :P That said, kabocha is one of my favorite squashes – I like the easy way out of steaming them. Will try the simmering method if I can :)

I love Kabocha and usually get the pre-cut ones from the Taka Cold Storage. Can’t seem to cut them well, take too much strength. Haha. I simply drizzle them with olive oil, sea salt and put in my toaster for 10 minutes. So yumms!!